Afshan from Biological Sciences

• • Biological sciences

  • Gael
  • Afshan
  • Darren
  • Kevin
  • Adrian

I graduated from the University of Manchester in 2003 with a BSc (Hons) degree in Biomedical Sciences. The degree enabled me to be as flexible or as focused as I liked in the topics that I studied. Throughout my degree I became quite familiar with AstraZenecas pioneering reputation as we quite frequently had units in which representatives from the company would give lectures about the drug discovery process.

Focusing throughout my degree in the pharmacology and cell biology disciplines, the company was again recognised as a key contributor to the pharmaceutical industry in such areas.

"My project team is full of friendly, lively people but that seems to be the atmosphere around the company as a whole" Afshan

Therefore, when it was approaching the time to think about where to go and what to do after my degree was over, the option of applying to AstraZeneca was clear. The website in itself made the application process as easy as possible. It was well layed out, and the fact that I could save and return to my application as I went through it meant that I could easily change and progress through it in my own time. The interview process in itself went very well too. Second round interviews took place over two days at the Alderley Park site. Meeting the people at Alderley Park and being shown around the site was an amazing experience. The hustle and bustle of a busy and hectic working environment within open plan offices and labs along with the calm serenity of farm life and wildlife as you step outside seemed like a fantastic way to begin working life. I loved it immediately.

The training scheme was a great experience. Training for 3 months in different disciplines within the company not only give me the opportunity to polish up on the techniques that were briefly introduced to me at university but enabled me to get to know people throughout the company and establish those all too important contacts when it comes to that horrendous machine you have no idea how to operate. The scheme also gave me that crucial step up into my own project.

I am now working within the cancer department on the lead optimisation phase of a cell cycle. I run my own experiments independently and regularly attend team meetings, seminars and internal lectures. My project team is full of friendly, lively people but that seems to be the atmosphere around the company as a whole. We are constantly monitored on our progress too so it isnt so daunting moving into the lab by yourself as any mistakes that are made are picked up soon enough.

To be honest, when I was offered a graduate position at AstraZeneca, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I had worked in research institutes and academic labs in the past but I had never had first hand experience in industry before, and relocating from my home in London was a big step in making the decision. I feel I definitely made the right choice and I havent looked back since.